Managing and Engineering Complex Technological Systems

Chapter 2.2

The Iron Dome Project – Development Under Fire

An Interview with AA

The Iron Dome is a mobile system for intercepting short-range missiles that has been in operation since 2011 and is a critical component in Israel's defense against the rockets fired at it from the Gaza strip.

Developed by Rafael, the system has gained much media exposure for operational reasons, when it showed impressive interception capabilities in an entirely new area of operation. The system had also received praise for the ingenuity of its development, seeing as it marked a new accomplishment in the minimization of development costs and was completed in an unprecedented short span of time when compared to other systems of its type. In 2012, its developers were awarded the Israel Defense Award.

One of the main reasons for this project's success was the superb management of the project in general, and of its systems engineering in particular, by three key figures: the project manager, its chief systems engineer, and the chief systems engineer of its central development array. Among other things, this array included the development of the interceptor missile. The latter of the three, AA (who wished to remain anonymous) is the interviewee in this chapter. We spoke with him about the project as a whole and about its excellent systems engineering.

2.2.1 Background and Preparations

Historical Background

One of the things that make the Iron Dome project unique is the fact that the system was to ...